David Weil has been the proud author of the “Ask a Maritime Attorney” column in The Southern California Log Newspaper and Sea Magazine since 2006, with over 300 installments of the column. We have provided links in this section to those articles, covering a wide range of topics of interest to the California maritime and boating communities.

Do maritime liens have an expiration date?

November 20, 2015
I am in the process of selling my boat, and the buyer discovered that a lien had been recorded on the Coast Guard Abstract of Title over 10 years ago. The lien is related to some engine work that was completed on my boat, but...

Understanding marina tenancy

November 7, 2015
I am a 72 year old retiree living aboard my 48 foot sailing yacht in Northern California. Last month I had a dispute with one of my neighbors about a shorepower cord, and several weeks later I was advised by my marina that my...

Read, then re-read your purchase contract

October 23, 2015
We recently entered into a written agreement with a private party to purchase a boat. The “agreement” was a generic purchase agreement the seller found online, and we realize now that it was missing a lot of terms...

Rules of the Road: Part III

September 25, 2015
What are the right of way rules for standup paddle boards and kayaks encountering power boats and boats under sail? I always thought that a row boat had right of way over both sail and power. Are SUPs and kayaks considered to...

Mind the Rules of the Road

September 11, 2015
What does it take for a sailboat to be considered a “power driven vessel?” I am an active participant in a sailboat owners’ forum and this question is presented and argued over from time to time but we have never...